Final answer:
In the number 4.39, the numbers to the right of the decimal point represent the fractional part, which in this case is 39 hundredths. The entire number is the sum of the whole number and fractional parts.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the number 4.39, the digits to the right of the decimal point represent the fractional part of the number. Specifically, the digit '4' is in the one's place, which is the whole number part, while '3' is in the tenth place and '9' is in the hundredth place, which together constitute the fractional part of the number. Hence, 4.39 can be described as 4 whole units plus 39 hundredths of a unit.
To clarify with an example: When we move the decimal point in 2.4 by 2 places to the right, we use a zero as a placeholder to get 240. In this situation, the zeros would be considered significant if we were measuring and needed to keep the correct level of precision.
If we consider place value, in the number 231.45, '2' represents two hundreds, '3' is three tens, '1' is one unit, '4' is four-tenths, and '5' is five hundredths. This concept applies to all numbers with a decimal point. For instance, in scientific notation, the number 0.0000045 is written as 4.5 X 10^-6, indicating the presence of fractional parts and their significance in the notation.